Rrrgh learning Sanskrit is frustrating. Lucia isn’t going to whine about it, she’s not that obliviously petty, but she isn’t above pouting about it to herself in her room at night. 

She stands up and asks for the void for… something. Nobody ever gets translation magic or, like, time dilation to be able to study more, but MAYBE that’s just because it would cost way too much mana, and she can cheat at that. 

She wasn’t actually expecting that to work, but here she has this peculiar verse.

She might as well try it. She recited the poem and opens her door.

There is a boy there in the middle of trying to order a root beer float by speaking loudly and clearly like he fears the absent bartender might be hard of hearing due to not existing. "- SAID THE FIRST DRINK IS FREE. I WOULD LIKE A ROOT BEER FLOAT PLEASE. WITH BOBA IN IT WHICH MIGHT BE AWFUL BUT IT SOUNDS GOOD RIGHT NOW."

The root beer boba float appears complete with boba straw. He sips it contentedly. He's not really watching his six.

THAT GUY IS THE SHINIEST THING SHE HAS EVER SEEN, WHAT THE FUCK. 

On the other hand, he is, like, talking, and El is shiny, so there's no reason to start by drawing her sword on him. 

She will saunter cautiously over, Sanskrit textbook tucked against her side. 

"...Hi." 

"Hi." Wow, she's shiny. Why is she shiny. "Why are you shiny?"

"...You can see it?" 

"Uh. Kind of? Not exactly? Y'know what never mind."

"--No, I mean--I know it's not seeing exactly--you're shiny too." 

"Oh, uh, thanks!" Slurp.

"I'm shiny because I'm probably part mal, and my best friend is shiny probably because she's a prophesied dark sorceress, but I have no idea why you're shiny." 

"How do you be part mal?"

"Well, I don't know exactly, but my dad's a creepy maleficer and when I kill things I get their mana, and two plus two equals four." 

"Oh. I do that too but without my dad being a creepy maleficer."

"You--do? Uh--shit, if my dad has, like, side projects, that's--important, actually--I'm Lucia. By the way."

"I'm Orion."

What does she even say next. 

"...So how does the free drink work, exactly."

"Well, I just walked up to the bar and said what I wanted. I said it kind of loud but I don't know if that was important."

"Man, what do I want..." she walks up to the bar and taps her foot. "...Something strawberry-banana? I guess?" 

A smoothie appears!

"Wow." She picks up the smoothie and sips it. ...She likes it better in the Scholomance than just about anyone else, but, also, the food is shit and this is really good. 

"It is very nice to taste real food." 

"I know, right? This spell is great. Except the first drink is the only free one I think so I guess it could get expensive."

"--Why would you not have real food." She knows every name in the Scholomance and there is not an Orion. Also she would have noticed another shiny hyperpredator!

"...'cause they don't serve it in the Scholomance? But also I dunno where you'd get root bear floats with boba and it turns out those are awesome." Slurp chew chew.

"You can't be in the Scholomance, I'd've seen you from across the school you're so shiny." 

"Oh. Y'know, that's a good point, I'm lousy with faces but I'd probably remember you. I'm in the Scholomance though."

"I'm not good at faces either but I made flashcards with everybody's names on 'em and there's no 'Orion.' There cannot be two Scholomances, Shanghai hasn't even done their own yet and you're white."